BLUES have been thrown into turmoil by Wigan Athletic's determination to appoint Steve Bruce as manager and fresh doubts over Carson Yeung's takeover of the club.

BLUES have been thrown into turmoil by Wigan Athletic's determination to appoint Steve Bruce as manager and fresh doubts over Carson Yeung's takeover of the club.

Blues are set to grant Bruce permission to talk to the Latics, who are seeking a replacement for the sacked Chris Hutchings.

Owner Dave Whelan is willing to pay whatever it takes to lure Bruce back to the North West club - which would initially mean shelling out as much as a whopping £3million in compensation to Blues.

Whelan is ready to give Bruce a lucrative £2million-a-year, four-year contract which would almost triple his present £15,000 weekly salary.

Despite upbeat public comments for most of the season, Bruce has become increasingly frustrated and disillusioned at St Andrew's.

He was disappointed with his summer transfer budget - he ended up spending a net £7.6million on 12 players - then when his new contract was blocked by Yeung.

Despite meeting with the Hong Kong tycoon, who assured his job was safe and funds would be forthcoming in January's window, and describing their talks as 'positive', Bruce still had reservations.

But, in another twist to an amazing sequence of events, it could be that Yeung fades from the scene anyway.

The Birmingham Mail can today reveal that Yeung has asked for more time to complete his £50million buyout of Blues.

David Sullivan had set a December 20 deadline for matters to be concluded but Yeung appealed for leeway as he and his associates are struggling to raise funds.

Sullivan and the Blues board have flatly refused and unless they do a sudden U-turn or Yeung arranges finances quickly in the next few weeks, then the club is unlikely to change hands.

It all adds up to a scenario that must have supporters reeling, just four days after being beaten by the arch enemy Villa, a result which left Blues three points from the relegation zone.

Blues board could block Bruce's path to Wigan, where he managed for eight games from April 2001 before joining Crystal Palace.

And, after seven straight defeats, they are a team Blues are battling against in the quest for Premier League survival after all.

They refused Bolton Wanderers permission to approach Bruce after Sammy Lee was sacked, but Bruce was not interested in that job.

But it is unlikely that they will stand in his way if, as expected, he indicates he is keen and Whelan pays the compensation.

And they might also feel that, with Bruce coming up to six years in charge in December, a change could be for the best and herald fresh impetus and ideas.

After becoming the club's longest-serving manager (post-War) last month, Bruce spoke about how the youthful dynamism and hunger to do well in his new-look team had reinvigorated him, and that he wanted to continue to improve the squad.

But he has also done plenty of thinking about just how secure his future is ever since Yeung arrived on the scene, and how the takeover has trundled on, creating an unsatisfactory state of limbo, as well as the degree of backing he might get during January's window from either the present board or Yeung, if he succeeds in salvaging his takeover bid.